Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
I throw my head back and laugh. Dimitri doesn’t have big enough balls to attempt such a feat, especially on me. He’ll scream at me, get red in the face, and tell me I’m a no-good swine, but he can’t lay a finger on me. She doesn’t understand yet, but she will soon.
I hold my hand out to her, and she stares at it in disgust. Instead, I grab her by the waist and pull her along with me. We aren’t going to wait around in the bathroom for her father to drop the hammer. I’m not a coward hiding away from my crimes. Besides, this is all going according to plan.
“Do you want to get out of this marriage or not?” I whisper to her.
She responds with a wide, hopeful look, and again I know I have her pegged. She wants out of this marriage as much as I want her. I’m the way out.
“Just trust me,” I say, as we approach a loud crowd that has assembled outside of the chapel. It seems news of our dalliance has reached the general population. Perfect timing.
“We are going to face the shitshow head-on,” I tell her. “We’re going to face it together. It will all work out exactly as it should.”
Down the corridor comes the squat, angry stature of her father. His face is so red it’s nearly purple. He really should watch his stress level. A man of his position and his horrible physique is at great risk of a heart attack. Even if that’s not in his immediate future, I know plenty of people who can make that happen and make it look like an accident.
Dimitri knows better than to cross me.
He reaches us, his eyes trained on his daughter. They are angry slits, full of murderous intent. He calls her a whore in Russian and raises his hand as if he’s going to slap her. That will not be happening on my watch.
I easily grab his wrist and stop him before he can lay a hand on his daughter. I will put up with a lot, but I will never abide by violence against women. I look down at the young bride-to-be to see that she is cowering behind me, terrified of her father. This isn’t the bold woman who just gave herself to me. No, this is an innocent woman who needs protection. My protection.
“Who the fuck do you think—” the man begins, his face an even deeper shade of purple.
He’s angry, but not nearly as angry as I am. He isn’t going to get away with this behavior with me, and he knows that. He’s much more afraid of me than I am of him.
“You will not touch her,” I say, my voice deep and low.
A look of fear crosses his face, only briefly masking his anger. He doesn’t want me to see the effect I have on him, but it’s impossible to miss. I may be younger, but I’m more powerful in several ways. For one thing, I’m a good foot taller than he is. More importantly, though, I have a larger and more equipped branch at my disposal.
If Dimitri crosses me and war is necessary, I will win. We both know it. For now, it’s my ace in the hole. He doesn’t intimidate me in any way, and I’m going to make damn sure that he never intimidates his daughter ever again. She’s something precious, something worth fighting for. The decision is already made.
“Listen to me carefully, Dimitri Stepanovich Mikhailov,” I start, invoking his full name to show him I mean business. “You are going to let your daughter leave with me right now. Once we’re gone, our two branches will be inextricably linked. No more fighting, no more war. Do you understand?”
The man withdraws his hand from mine and looks very small to me. He simply nods, his eyes wide. I can practically hear his heart beating in his chest. He started this day thinking he was going to make an alliance with the Zaitsev family. Now he has one with me.
I may not control half of Mother Russia, but I control the entire Upper East Side. I can make his life hell if I choose, and he knows that. I can also ensure that he and his family live out the rest of their days in absolute splendor. His choice now, and his actions following this day will determine how this situation will play out.
“Excellent,” I tell him, taking a step back to assess him. “Here’s what’s going to happen now. Katrina and I are going to leave this church and you’re going to let us go with your blessing. If you impede our exit or come after us in any way, I will declare war on your branch, and I will win. You don’t want that, now, do you?”